Contactless delivery locker system

ABSTRACT

A contactless delivery locker may have a locker housing with a locker door fitted to the locker housing. A disinfecting system may be arranged to disinfect the locker content and a remotely actuable lock may be arranged to secure the locker door in a closed position and actuable to release the locker door. A controller associated with the lock may be configured to actuate the lock and a wireless interface may be connected to the controller and configured to receive a command to actuate the lock to release the locker door. The controller may operate to control actuation of the lock to release the locker door upon detection of a command to actuate the lock and release the locker door. The controller may be configured to report lock status information to a user to confirm if a locker has been opened after completion of a disinfecting cycle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a contactless delivery system and moreparticularly, a delivery locker having wireless communication interfaceand a disinfecting system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNOLOGY

In early 2020, most restaurants were forced to close their dining roomsbecause of the Covid-19 crisis. Restaurant operators and other sellersof goods increasingly turned to the sole off-premises channels such asdelivery and carry-out. Some restaurants have encouraged all payments tobe hands free and personal interactions to be minimal. Other measuresinclude drop-off deliveries; increased frequency of bag cleaning;disinfecting high-touch surfaces; limiting the number of people insidean establishment and maintaining social distancing. Once food leaves arestaurant for delivery, customer visibility of order handling is lost.Maintaining the safety and the quality of the food is important, evenwhen it's out of sight on the way to a diner. Excellent food safetypractices, time management of cooked and holding food, proper packaging,tamper resistant seals, sanitation and customer guidance are all areasthat have required greater attention for good delivery and pick-up.

Requirements have increased for food packaging to maintain hot and coldtemperatures as long as possible and to uphold food quality. To helpmaintain temperatures, hot and cold foods may be packaged separately.Before pick-up, hot food may be held at 135 degrees F. or more and coldfood may be held at 41 degrees F. or less for as long as possible.Limiting the time food is out of this temperature range to less than twohours is advisable. Restaurants must buffer the time of delivery intothe suggested two-hour window where cold food is outside the temperatureof less than 41 degrees F. and hot food is out of the temperature ofmore than 135 degrees F. Safety guidance includes suggestions to closedpackaging using a tamper-proof seal. Some packaging solutions are:Adhesive seals on take-out bags that tear bag when opened, carryoutcontainers with plastic tabs that break when food is accessed,tamper-evident labels, cartons with tamper-evident seals or adhesivestrips or adhesive bands across the tops of lids and cups. Measures mustbe taken to ensure that a bag is secure enough to withstand possiblemovement and possible cross contamination during a transportation.Alternatively, double bag or secure everything together. In addition totamper evident seals, labeling packages with the time and date ofpick-up and including guidance such as heating or reheatinginstructions, if applicable has been suggested.

The concept of prepared meals to be eaten elsewhere dates back toantiquity. Archaeologists have found over 200 thermopolia servicecounters opening onto the street which provided food to be taken away inPompeii. In the cities of medieval Europe, street vendors sold take-outfood. In medieval London, street vendors sold hot meat pies, geese,sheep's feet, and French wine, while in Paris roasted meats, squab,tarts and flans, cheeses and eggs were available. A large strata ofsociety would have purchased food from these vendors, but they wereespecially popular amongst the urban poor, who would have lacked kitchenfacilities in which to prepare their own food. These vendors often had abad reputation, often being in trouble with civic authoritiesreprimanding them for selling infected meat or reheated food. The“carry-out” food vendors of Norwich often defended themselves in courtagainst selling such things as “pokky pies” and “stynkyng mackerelles”.In Renaissance Turkey, many crossroads saw vendors selling “fragrantbites of hot meat”, including chicken and lamb that had been spitroasted. Astec marketplaces had vendors that sold beverages such asatolli (“a gruel made from maize dough”), almost 50 types of tamales(with ingredients that ranged from the meat of turkey, rabbit, gopher,frog, and fish to fruits, eggs, and maize flowers), as well as insectsand stews. After Spanish colonization of Peru and importation ofEuropean food stocks including wheat, sugarcane, and livestock, mostcommoners continued primarily to eat their traditional diets, but didadd grilled beef hearts sold by street vendors. In 1707, after previousrestrictions that had limited their operating hours, street food vendorshad been banned in New York City. The Industrial Revolution saw anincrease in the availability of take-out food. By the early 20^(th)Century, fish and chips was considered an “established institution” inBritain. The hamburger was introduced to America around this time. Thediets of industrial workers were often poor, and these meals provided an“important component” to their nutrition. In India, local businesses andcooperatives had begun to supply workers in the City of Bombay (nowMumbai) with tiffin boxes by the end of the 19^(th) century. Despite along history of problems with “unsafe” foods, there exists to this datea need for a more reliable food delivery system. This need has beenheightened by the Covid-19 crisis.

Take-out food can be purchased from restaurants that also providesit-down table service or from establishments specializing in food to betaken away. Providing a take-out service saves operators the cost ofcutlery, crockery and pay for servers and hosts; it also allows manycustomers to be served quickly, without restricting sales by remainingto eat their food. Although once popular in Europe and America, streetfood has declined in popularity. In part, this can be attributed to acombination of the proliferation of specialized takeaway restaurants andlegislation relating to health and safety. Many restaurants and take-outestablishments offer drive-through that allow customers to order, payfor, and receive food without leaving their cars. The idea was pioneeredin 1931 in a California fast food restaurant, Pig Stand Number 21. By1988, 51% of McDonald's turnover was being generated by drive-throughs,with 31% of all US take-out turnover being generated by them by 1990.Some take-out businesses offer prepared food for delivery, which usuallyinvolves contacting a local restaurant by telephone or on-line. Incountries including Australia, Canada, India, Brazil, Japan, much of theEuropean Union and the United States, food can be ordered on-line from amenu, then picked up by the customer or delivered by the restaurant or athird party delivery service. The industry has kept pace withtechnological developments since the 1980s, beginning with the rise ofthe personal computer and continuing with the rise of mobile devices andon-line delivery applications. Specialized computer software for fooddelivery helps determine the most efficient routes for carriers, trackorder and delivery times, manage calls and orders with PoS software, andother functions. Since 2008, satellite navigation tracking technologyhas been used for real-time monitoring of delivery vehicles by customersover the Internet. A restaurant can either maintain its own deliverpersonnel or use third parties who contract with restaurants to not onlydeliver food orders but also assist in marketing and providingorder-taking technology. The field has seen rapid growth since the late2000s with the spread of the smart phones and apps enabling customers toorder from their mobile devices.

Retail food delivery is a courier service in which a restaurant, store,or independent food-delivery company delivers food to a customer. Anorder is typically made either through a restaurant or grocer's websiteor phone, or through a food ordering company. The delivered items caninclude entrees, sides, drinks, desserts, or grocery items and aretypically delivered in boxes or bags. The delivery person will normallydrive a car, but in bigger cities where homes and restaurants are closertogether, they may use bikes or motorized scooters. Customers can,depending on the delivery company, choose to pay on-line or in person,with cash or card. Contactless delivery may also be an option. Otheraspects of food delivery include catering and wholesale food servicedeliveries to restaurants, cafeterias, health care facilities, andcaterers by foodservice distributors. Meal delivery orders are typicallyon demand, and intended to be eaten right away, and include hot,already-prepared food. Pizza delivery may be the largest meal deliveryindustry at the moment. Ordering for delivery usually involvescontacting a local restaurant or chain by telephone or on-line. On-lineordering is available in many countries, where some stores offer on-linemenus and ordering. Since 1995, companies such as Waiter.com have theirown interfaces where customers order food from nearby restaurants thathave partnered with the service. Meal delivery requires specialtechnology and care, since the food items are already cooked andprepared, and can be easily damaged if dropped, tilted, or left out forlong periods of time. Hot bags are often used to keep food warm. Theyare thermal bags, typically made of vinyl, nylon or Cordura, thatpassively retain heat.

Community-supported agriculture schemes work on a subscription boxmodel, where a box of vegetables, diary product, fish, or meat isdelivered periodically from a local vendor. Various meal kit deliverysubscription services have started in Europe and North America since2007. These typically have pre-measured ingredients designed foraccompanying recipes. Grocery delivery companies will deliver groceries,or pre-made meals, and more to customers. The companies work with brickand mortar stores or their own line grocery items. These orders aretypically larger and more expensive than normal meal deliveries and areoften not meant to be eaten right away, rather they are to replace itemssomeone has run out of, like flour or milk. They are almost always doneon-line, and typically take at least one day to delivery, though somecompanies offer same-day delivery. Many delivery services are requiredto offer delivery within a couple of hours because frozen and freshfoods have to be delivered before they spoil. Grocery delivery differsfrom meal delivery in the sense that it is usually sent as a parcelthrough common mailing services like USPS or FedEx, if it is onlynon-perishables. Since non-perishables items are packaged beforearriving at grocery stores, they can easily be repackaged and deliveredto customers without any special care. Sometimes dry ice is added tokeep perishable items fresh. Fresh and frozen foods complicate delivery,which is done, usually by store/provider employees or third-partyservices such as Instacart. The grocery delivery business has taken off,with hundreds of niche delivery companies springing up offering avariety of different services from weekly grocery restock topre-planned, pre-measured family meals to make cooking easier. On-lineretailer giants have hopped on-board too. Amazon.com, for example,offers Amazon Fresh delivery service. Amazon purchased Whole FoodsMarket in 2017, and by 2018 Amazon had added Whole Foods items to itsPrime Now service, for 2-hour delivery in certain markets. According toForbes, grocery stores should deliver their own groceries to helpprevent third party, part-time, non-store deliveries from becoming the‘face’ or brand image of their local grocer. Limitations of having topick and deliver groceries within a short period of time need to beremedied to allow for more flexibility to enable more deliveries to bemore efficiently routed. Frozen and fresh food refrigeration unitsinside the store and the delivery vehicle, as well as lockable, consumerrefrigeration boxes at the consumers home will be a solution that allowsthe groceries to be delivered at any time, further relieving deliveryissues. This scenario will allow more local grocers to deliver withemployees vs outside delivery services.

In a 2018 market study of restaurant delivery services, the globalmarket for on-line ordered prepared food delivery was estimated at $94billion and is estimated to grow at just over 9 percent a year, reaching$134.5 billion in 2023. The study defined the market as 1) “mealsordered on-line which are directly delivered by the restaurant, nomatter if ordered via a platform (e.g., Delivery Hero) or a restaurantwebsite (e.g. Domino's)”; 2) on-line meal orders and deliveries “bothcarried out by a platform” (Deliveroo, UberEATS, e.g.); 3) “on-lineorders that are picked up in the restaurant” by the customer. It doesnot include phone orders. According to research conducted by the NDPGroup, on-line restaurant ordering is growing 300% faster than dine-intraffic. “On-line ordering has started to become the norm, thanks to theconvenience, accuracy, and ability to integrate payments.” At scale,ubiquitous on-demand and subscription delivery of prepared food couldpotentially spell the end of cooking at home.

As the food delivery sector has grown, restaurants have turned to “ghostkitchens”, also known as “cloud kitchen”, to fill the need forinexpensive kitchen space to handle the increased volume. A ghostkitchen site will be purpose-built to be delivery-only and have separateareas of stoves, refrigeration, and storage space to accommodate foodpreparation teams of several different restaurants. As they are oftenlocated in less densely populated areas of a city, they also haveparking areas for the delivery vehicles. Companies providing thisservice are often subsidiaries of the delivery companies. Ghost kitchensalso allow for the creation of virtual restaurant brands—restaurantsthat exist only on-line, with no brick-and-mortar presence.

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVG or UVGI) is a disinfectionmethod that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (ultraviolet C or UV-C)light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acidsand disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellularfunctions. UVGI is used in a variety of applications, such as food, air,and water purification. UV-C light is weak at the Earth's surface sincethe ozone layer of the atmosphere blocks it. UVGI devices can producestrong enough UV-C light in circulating air or water systems to makethem inhospitable environments to microorganisms such as bacteria,viruses, molds and other pathogens. UVGI can be coupled with afiltration system to sanitize air and water. The application of UVGI todisinfection has been an accepted practice since the mid-20^(th)century. It has been used primarily in medical sanitation and sterilework facilities, increasingly, it has been employed to sterilizedrinking and wastewater since the holding facilities are enclosed andcan be circulated to ensure a higher exposure to the UV. In recentyears, UVGI has found renewed application in air purifiers. In 1878,Arthur Downes and Thomas P. Blunt published a paper describing thesterilization of bacteria exposed to short-wavelength light. UV has beena known mutagen at the cellular level for over 100 years. The 1903 NobelPrize for Medicine was award to Niels Finsen for his use of UV againstlupus vulgaris, tuberculosis of the skin. Using UV light fordisinfection of drinking water dates back to 1910 in Marseille, France.The prototype plant was shut down after a short time due to poorreliability. In 1955, UV water treatment systems were applied in Austriaand Switzerland; by 1985 about 1,500 plants were employed in Europe. In1998, it was discovered that protozoa such as Cryptosporidium andGiardia were more vulnerable to UV light than previously thought; thisopened the way to wide-scale use of UV water treatment in North America.By 2001, over 6,000 UV water treatment plants were operating in Europe.Microorganisms have low protection against UV and cannot surviveprolonged exposure. A UVGI system is designed to expose environmentssuch as water tanks, sealed rooms and forced air systems to germicidalUV. Exposure comes from germicidal lamps that emit germicidal UV at thecorrect wavelength, thus irradiating the environment. The forced flow ofair water through this environment ensures exposure. The effectivenessof this form of disinfection depends on-line-of-sight exposure of themicroorganisms to the UV light. Environments where design createsobstacles that block the UV light are not as effective. In such anenvironment, the effectiveness is then reliant on the placement of theUVGI system so that line of sight is optimum for disinfection. Dust andfilms coating the bulb lower UV output. Therefore, bulbs requireperiodic cleaning and replacement to ensure effectiveness.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,424,143, the disclosure of which is expresslyincorporated by reference herein, relates to package delivery andcollection systems comprising assemblies of automated lockers which aremonitored and controlled by a central computer system. Each locker dooris secured by a lock which can be locked and unlocked electronicallyresponsive to validation of an access request received via a local userinterface, so that packages can be securely deposited and collected byauthorized users of the system.

According to U.S. Pat. No. 10,424,143, automated locker systems can beused for example as a last mile delivery system for consumer goodsordered online, wherein each package is delivered by authorized deliverypersonnel and collected by a consumer using a one-time collection code.Alternatively, for example, a block or bank of lockers might be acentralized station to collect, exchange and return goods.Alternatively, an automated locker assembly might be located in asupermarket or the like for use by its customers to collect individualgrocery orders which are picked and packed by the supermarket staff.

WO2014/125243A1, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated byreference herein, discloses a system, in which each locker assembly iscontrolled by a local control unit which communicates with the centralcomputer system via a direct data link and via handheld wirelesscommunication devices carried by delivery personnel. The local controlunit functions autonomously based on the most recent set of instructionsreceived from the central computer system.

By grouping together a plurality of lockers into an automated lockerassembly, it is possible to control each of the lockers via asophisticated local control system and user interface including barcodescanning and other functionality and a data connection to a centralcomputer system located remotely from the locker assembly. The operationof all of the lockers can then be monitored and controlled centrally sothat they can function effectively as part of a wider logistics networkin which a package can be tracked to the point of delivery, and thecustomer then notified and authorized to perform the collection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There exists a great need for a contactless delivery system,particularly for prepared food that enhances the safety of an order andgives customers enhanced confidence in the safety of an order. This maybe accomplished by a locker system with contactless opening, UVdisinfecting, status reporting, and security features. According to anadvantageous feature, a user will have confidence that a locker remainscontinuously closed and sealed from the time an order is loaded into adelivery locker until the locker is opened by the user, and has beendisinfected to reduce or eliminate any microorganism contaminant on thefood containers.

According to an advantageous feature, it is an object to provide a smartcontactless delivery locker. It is a further object to provide acontactless delivery locker with disinfecting capabilities. It is afurther object to provide a contactless food delivery locker which maybe portable so as to be useful for food delivery services. It is anobject to provide a delivery locker which may be suitable for mobilefood delivery services such as UberEATS®. It is a further object toprovide a disinfecting contactless delivery system which may include oneor multiple food lockers in a locker bank. It is a further object toprovide a delivery locker which may have touchless opening features. Itis a further object to provide a system that can enhance the safety oftake-out food and enhance customer confidence in the safety of take-outfood, whether by carry-out or delivery. It is a further object toprovide a food delivery locker which may have environmental insulationof environmental controls such as heating, cooling, and/or freezing.These and other objects may be obtained by using a stackable locker. Thelocker housing may be constructed from a polyurethane or expandedpolypropylene. The locker may have an on-board power supply and may havesmart capabilities to allow a customer to monitor the status of thelocker prior to its delivery, including loading time, location, food oritem availability, temperature, disinfecting system operation and lockeridentification.

According to an advantageous feature, the locker may include a wirelessinterface such as Bluetooth, or cellular, M2M, BLE, Zigbee, Wi-Fi,LPWAN, LTE, or other remote communications capabilities. The locker maybe provided with GPS receiver so as to facilitate location tracking orlocation reporting.

The locker may be in the form of a box with a door. The box may be ofany suitable material such as expanded polypropylene. The door may behinged, or pivot mounted or arranged to slide in a suitable recess inthe box housing. The door or the box housing may be provided with aviewing window.

The locker may include an indicator or multiple indicators for visualcommunications. The indicators may be one or more lights such as an LEDor LED'Ss and/or a suitably sized display. The indicator may be providedto visually indicate status such as loaded, ready, cleaning, heating,cooling, etc. In addition, the indicator may display a locker ID and/ora customer name, or ID. The indicator may also include a representationof temperature time or a lapsed time since being filled. A number ofother relevant information may be provided through the display. Inaddition, the opportunity exists for the display to provide digitalsignage for presenting advertising or other information.

The locker may include a lock for securing the door in a closedposition. The lock may be released to allow the locker door to be openedeither manually or by some contactless mechanism.

A digital controller such as a microprocessor based controller may beprovided to control operation of the locker. The controller may beon-board the locker or may be remotely located. The system may bedesigned for an operator of the locker to load the locker with one ormore items to be collected by another such as a customer.Advantageously, the operator may be a restaurant, kitchen, or a deliveryservice which loads the locker with an order such as food order. Theorder may be placed by a customer using an on-line ordering system or,according to some other process. For example, regular inventory supplyor meal delivery may be scheduled or established without requiring animmediate customer order. The system may notify the operator of the itemor items to load into the locker and the system may notify a user ordelivery service that the item is ready to be collected or the locker isto be delivered.

The system allows for a stationary deployment of either an individuallocker and/or a bank of lockers, for use in delivery without personalinteraction or contact between fulfillment personal and a customer. Acustomer or user may collect the item or items loaded into the locker.The system may include a wireless communication capability whereby auser may trigger opening of a locker at an appropriate time using amobile computing device such as a smart phone running an appropriateapplication program. The software may be set-up as a web-application ormay be distributed between a server, the locker, and the user device.The precise location or distribution of the software is not critical.

There are several features which may be incorporated into the deliverylocker depending on the system requirements.

In order to secure the payload within the locker until the user collectsthe content, a lock is provided to secure the door to the locker. Asdiscussed previously, the lock may be remotely operated so that a usermay use an app to release the electronic lock and open the door. Thedoor may be manually operated or automatically opened upon release ofthe lock. The user control may be through direct instructions through anapp residing on a smart device or another mechanism such as proximitysensor or optical scan.

For lockers which will be used for mobile delivery, the locker may beprovided with location sensing or reporting capabilities. The locationsensing or reporting may be by an IoT device and any location servicesprovided, such as an IOS, Android, or JAVA based devices; although, thesystem is not limited to the operating systems.

The locker may be provided with a temperature sensor, a door sensor, anda clock or timer so that the conditions within the locker may bereported to a user or operator. The user or operator may take certainactions on the basis of the information provided. For example, a user oroperator may determine that temperature sensitive contents are spoiledif exposed to certain temperatures over certain periods of time.

The controller and operation of the box may be provided with securityfeatures to control access to the locker and to secure communications ofinformation relating to the locker conditions.

The locker may be provided with heating and/or cooling capabilitieswhich may be used to maintain the environment within the locker asdesired. For example, a locker which is utilized for delivery of icecream should be kept below a predetermined temperature, which may bemaintained using cooling systems such as refrigeration.

The locker may be provided with a disinfecting system, for example, a UVradiation system which is suitable to emit sufficient ultra-violetenergy/wavelengths to disinfect irradiated surfaces.

The locker may be provided with an on-board power supply or be dockedand connected to a power source. An on-board power supply with a batterymay be suitable for a locker module which will be moved. The locker maybe collected from a locker loading station and transported to thelocation of the user or other intermediate location.

The locker may be provided with structures designed to allow multiplelockers to be stacked in a more secure fashion. It is an object toprovide a take-out food delivery and carry-out experience with greatersafety to the customer.

It is an object to provide a more efficient way of distributing goodsthrough an automated locker system.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,424,143 discloses a package delivery and collectionsystem for use with a plurality of wireless communication devicescommunicating via a communications network. According to an advantageousembodiment, the system may be improved and adapted to be an advanceddelivery system for contactless restaurant take-out service includingcarry-out (customer pick-up) and delivery (transport) to a remotecustomer location.

The system may comprise one or more locker modules or a plurality oflocker modules arranged in a locker bank. The locker modules may includea door and a lock unit, the lock unit including a lock, the lock beingoperable to lock the door to secure a payload inside the locker and tounlock the door to permit the payload to be removed from the locker.

The system may work with a sever linked to a locker controller and auser interface connected by a wireless communication channel. Eachlocker may include a lock unit with a processor and a wirelesscommunication interface for communicating with a user interface, forexample a personal communication device for example a smart phone. Acontroller for the locker may be a processor configured to receive anaccess request from the user's personal communications device tovalidate the access request, and responsive to successful validation ofthe access request, to unlock the locker door to allow access to thelocker. The access request and other communications between a personalcommunications device and a locker module controller may be through anycommunications channel, preferably wireless. For example, thecommunication channel may be a short range wireless channel like aBluetooth channel of a long-range wireless channel like cellular or M2Mcellular. The channel may be Wi-Fi or long-range Wi-Fi. The channel maybe direct between the personal communications device and the lockermodule or indirect, between the personal communications device through aserver connected directly or indirectly to both.

The communication may be active, by a two-way electronic communicationprotocol like TCP/IP or by one-way communications, for example thelocker module may have an optical scanner and the personalcommunications device may display a QR code and communications from thelocker module to a user may be by information on a display or otherindicators. Access may also be controlled by a proximity sensor. Thelocker module may be opened automatically or may prompt a customer toauthorize opening the module when the user's personal communicationdevice is in the immediate proximity of the locker bank or lockermodule. Proximity sensing technology itself is well known and may beaccomplished directly by determining proximity of devices or indirectlyby determining distance between locations of devices or by determiningdistance of devices in a fixed frame of references, such as by Wi-Fitriangulation in a Wi-Fi geolocation (positioning) system.

A method of operating the contactless delivery system may include thesteps of receiving, by the controller, via the communication channel, anaccess request from a program running on a personal communicationdevice, which may be a device proximate to the lock unit of the lockermodule; validating, by the processor, the access request; and responsiveto at least successful validation of the access request, initiating, bythe controller, an event including unlocking the locker module door toallow access to the locker module. The access request may be based on anenabling message generated by a server and transmitted via acommunications network in modified or unmodified form, directly orindirectly to the personal communication device, the server beingarranged to generate the enabling message for the lock unit.

Advantageously, the user interface functionality conventionally providedby a local control unit and dedicated data link may be provided insteadby the program in combination with the touchscreen, keypad, barcodescanning and communications functions conventionally built into apersonal communication device, such as a smart phone, on which theprogram is running. By downloading and installing the program as an app,a consumer may access the lockers using a simple user interface which isgenerated by the program on the display of their device in combinationwith the touchscreen or keypad. The program may be configured togenerate the access request automatically based on the enabling messageresponsive to a simple input from the user, such as pressing a buttonmarked “collect package” or the like on their touchscreen display, andwithout requiring the user to remember or type in any codes or the like,so that the system is more convenient in use.

A collection ID might be in the form of a barcode which may be sent tothe customer, to be printed, or displayed on a mobile phone or otherdevice. The locker module controller may provide status information to auser prior to or at the time of collection of the payload. The statusinformation may include one or more of: order ready time; door closedtime(s); door open time(s); door secured flag, to indicate that the doorhas not been opened over a period of interest which may be a periodcommencing when the payload is loaded, the period commencing when the UVdisinfection cycle is initiated, or another period; UV disinfectingcycle status; temperature; elapsed time or other information.

Further and more specific objectives, optional features and advantageswill become evident from the various illustrative embodiments which willnow be described, purely by way of example and without limitation to thescope of the claims, and with reference to the accompanying drawing,which shows various elements of a contactless delivery system.

In general, the features described may be applied as appropriate andmutatis mutandis to any of the embodiments.

Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with theaccompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.

Moreover, the above objects and advantages of the invention areillustrative, and not exhaustive, of those that can be achieved by theinvention. Thus, these and other objects and advantages of the inventionwill be apparent from the description herein, both as embodied hereinand as modified in view of any variations which will be apparent tothose skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a locker bank;

FIG. 2 shows a locker module;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic of the access control features; and

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a contactless delivery operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Before the present invention is described in further detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the particularembodiments described, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to beunderstood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to belimiting, since the scope of the present invention will be limited onlyby the appended claims.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, between the upper and lower limit of that range andany other stated or intervening value in that stated range isencompassed by the range of values. The upper and lower limits of thesesmaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges isalso encompassed within the invention, subject to any specificallyexcluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes oneor both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those includedlimits are also included in the invention.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also beused in the practice or testing of the present invention, a limitednumber of the exemplary methods and materials are described herein.

It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise.

All publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by referenceto disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection withwhich the publications are cited. The publications discussed herein areprovided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of thepresent application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admissionthat the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publicationby virtue of prior invention. Further, the dates of publication providedmay be different from the actual publication dates, which may need to beindependently confirmed.

A locker or bank of lockers may be provided for contactless transfer ofcarry-out orders from a restaurant operator to a customer. The customermay have a wireless personal communication device for communicating withthe operator and for remotely operating a locker module.

Each customer may use their own personal communication device which mayrun a collection program, which may be downloaded and installed as anapp on their device, which is configured to simplify the process ofcollecting a single package from a single locker.

A customer may register with an operator. The operator may be arestaurant or other vendor, or an ordering service. The ordering servicemay include delivery transportation. Once an order is placed andcommunicated to an operator, the operator prepares the order forplacement in a locker module as the “payload”. For a restaurant, thepayload will be the food specified by the order. The locker may bedelivered (transported) as requested by the customer or may be held atthe operator facility for carry-out. The time that the locker is loadedand closed may be recorded and reported to the customer. The status ofthe door may be monitored and a change in status may be reported. Inthis way, a customer may ascertain when and if the door is opened. Thiswill engender confidence in the customer that once the locker is loaded,it has not been opened at any time prior to being opened by thecustomer. In addition to the monitor, or instead of the monitor, thedoor may be locked. The customer will be able to unlock the door onarrival of delivery. The ability of a third party transporter to openthe locker module and potentially contaminate the payload withoutknowledge of the customer is thereby limited. Once the payload is placein the locker module, a UV disinfecting light can disinfect the surfaceof the payload exposed to the UV light. This is intended to reduce oreliminate any contaminants on the surfaces exposed in the UV radiation.

FIG. 1 shows a locker bank 1 with nine lockers 2. The lockers 2 may bearranged on a stand 3. The lockers may be integrally constructed in thebank or may be stacked locker modules 4. One of the locker modules 4 isshown with an open door 12. The lockers 2 may be integral parts of thelocker bank 1 or may be modular. In the case of a modular locker, theymay be fixed in the locker bank 1 or may be removable. The locker bank 1may include a frame 5 with the lockers 2 arranged in the frame.

FIG. 2 shows a locker module 4. The locker module 4 defines a storagespace 5 which is suitable for containing a payload 6, for example, oneor more prepared food containers. One or more light sources 7 may bemounted to irradiate the payload 6. The light sources 7 may be placed onany or all interior surface of the storage space 5 (walls, door,ceiling, and/or floor). The light sources 7 may be LED's, lamps, or acombination of LED's and lamps. The light sources 7 may provide visiblelight and/or UV-C in the storage space 5.

One or more of the light sources 7 may generate UV germicidalirradiation (UVGI) within the lockers 2. The UV-C light sources 7 may bedistributed to bathe a payload in UV-C radiation. The interior walls ofthe storage space may include one or more reflecting, scattering, anddiffusing surfaces or a combination thereof to enhance the coverage ofthe surface area of the payload 6 with UV-C.

A locker module 4 may include a handle 8 which may retract into a handlerecess 9. UV-C LEDs or other light sources (not shown) may expose thehandle to UV-C. The outer shell of the locker module 4 may includestacking recesses 10 to mate with stacking protrusions (not shown) on anopposed surface of a second locker module. Conveniently stackingrecesses 10 may be located on a top surface of a locker module 4 andcorresponding stacking protrusions may be on a bottom surface of thelocker module 4. The locker module 4 may be provided with anchors 11 toallow for connecting carrying straps or mounting.

A door 12 may be pivot mounted on one or more hinges 13. The door mayhave window 14. The window 14 may be glass, a display, or a see-throughdisplay.

The locker module 4 may be provided with catch, latch or lock referredto as a closure mechanism 15. The closure mechanism may include acomponent 15 a mounted in the frame of the locker module 4 and acomponent 15 b mounted on the door 12 that cooperates with component 15a. The closure mechanism 15 may be manual, but advantageously isremotely operated by a customer or operator. The closure 15 may alsoinclude a mechanical release 16 shown in FIG. 1 and a UV-C lightsource(s), providing UVGI on the mechanical release 16. The closuremechanism may include a lock, a sensor, and/or a pop-open capabilitywhen remotely activated and may include damping functions or automatedfunctions and structure.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic of the access control features of the lockermodule 4.

The locker module 4 may include a power supply 31 such as a rechargeableor replaceable battery, a controller 32, such as a processor withsuitable memory and programming. The controller 32 may be connected to awireless communication interface 33, for example, a Bluetooth orcellular interface, and the closure mechanism 15. One or more sensors 34may also be provided and connected to the controller 32, for example, tosense the position or status of the locker module door 12 or thetemperature within the locker module 4. The controller may also beconnected to control the UV-C LED's 35 and display 36 mounted on thelocker module 4.

The closure mechanism 15 may include a lock unit and may include a lock,such as a solenoid operated bolt or a motorized bolt or any otherelement which is mechanically or magnetically operable under control ofthe processor to be engageable and disengageable with the frame to lockand unlock the door, optionally also to open and close the door, such asby engaging a sloping cam surface on the frame to draw the door from aslightly open position to a fully closed position so as to permitcontactless loading or unloading of the payload 6. A mechanical overridemay be provided by which the door can be released using a handle orsuitable tool. The sensor 34 (if present) may be incorporated into theclosure mechanism 15 or lock, e.g. to sense the position of the lockingelement.

The door may be provided with a self-closing and/or self-opening device.The self-closing and/or self-opening device may be powered by energystored in the battery or stored mechanically (e.g. using a spring, apneumatic cylinder, or the like). The self-closing and/or self-openingdevice may be incorporated into closure 15 and may be controlled bycontroller 32.

The controller 32 may be configured to transmit the status of the sensorclosure and/or UV-C LED's directly or indirectly to a user's personalcommunication device i.e. smart phone or other device running a suitableapp using short-range (page 35 of the contactless locker delivery systemapplication).

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a contactless delivery operation using thelocker module 4. The locker module 4 may remain stationary at theoperator facility (restaurant) or be delivered to a customer. An orderfulfillment system may be utilized in conjunction with the contactlessdelivery system, for example, to take orders, advise a customer of orderstatus, manage payments, and/or dispatch delivery service. Thesefunctions are compatible with the use of the contactless delivery systembut need not be part of the system. The system may provide an orderfulfillment message 41. The message may be generated when an operatorindicates that the order is fulfilled or may be generated in advance tocommunicate the anticipated fulfillment time. In a static locationsystem, the message may advise the customer when the order is ready forpick-up. In a mobile delivery system, the customer may be advised whenthe locker module 4 is left at the delivery location or when toanticipate delivery. In this manner, it is possible for the customer tonot actually be in contact with anyone from the operator facility, andin a mobile situation, not be in contact with the delivery serviceprovider.

Once the payload is placed in the locker, the disinfecting cycle may beactivated at step 42. The disinfecting cycle may commence by activationof the UV-C LED's at the time of fulfillment and may continue for a timeor until being deactivated by a user. In such case, the UV-C LED's maybe deactivated when the door 12 is unlocked or opened.

For operation with a delivery service, the locker may include a GPS 37or other location service element. With a delivery service, the GPS mayreport to the customer the location of the locker, thus reducing oreliminating the need for the order fulfilled message 41 to indicate thedelivery of the locker manual. The locker module 4 may use a wirelesscommunication interface like IOT or cellular M2M to report on its ownlocation and the system may advise the user/customer when the lockermodule reaches the user location.

The door closure 15 may be locked once the payload is placed into thelocker manual. The sensor may determine if the door is opened. Thecustomer will be able to ascertain whether the door has been opened atany point, including after initiation of a UV-C disinfecting cycle,since being loaded by the operator, or if the door had not been opened.This is accomplished by monitoring door status 44 by reporting a changedetected by the sensor or a closure 15 opening operation.

The user may simply rely on the closed or locked status of the doorwithout further monitoring if the user can be confident that the lockermodule lock has not been tempered with. Upon arrival of the customer atthe locker module location for pick-up or upon delivery of the lockermodule 4 to the customer, the customer may initiate a door openoperation. This may be done in a contactless fashion by issuing remoteopen instructions 45 from the user's personal communications device.This can be done by an app on a user personal communication device suchas a smart phone. The app may issue Bluetooth instructions to the lockermodule 4 for user-to-module communications, or in the event the moduleis connected to a network, the user may issue instructions over anetwork. In either case, the user will have the capability ofcontactless operation of the locker module door 12.

The status may be reported 46 to the customer through a personalcommunication device or communications or over the network for a networkconnected device. A door closure operation report 47 can advise theoperator of the availability of the locker module 4 for anothercustomer, the availability of the locker module 4 may initiate adisinfecting cycle before being available to another customer or forpick-up by a delivery service. The closure the locker module door maytrigger activation of the UV-C LED's for another disinfecting cycle incase the customer unloading of the locker module introduced anymicroorganism contamination.

It should be appreciated that the combined features of the securedstorage contactless delivery UV disinfecting and status monitoring isunique and solves a long felt need in take-out food delivery ascontaminated foods have historically been a problem for take-out fooddelivery and the Covid-19 crisis has eliminated or at least reduced theability for dine-in service and increased the consumer apprehension ofthe safety of take-out.

The techniques, processes and apparatus described may be utilized tocontrol operation of any device and conserve use of resources based onconditions detected or applicable to the device.

The system is described in detail with respect to preferred embodiments,and it will now be apparent from the foregoing to those skilled in theart that changes and modifications may be made without departing fromthe invention in its broader aspects, and the invention, therefore, asdefined in the claims, is intended to cover all such changes andmodifications that fall within the true spirit of the invention.

Thus, specific apparatus for and methods of have been disclosed. Itshould be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many moremodifications besides those already described are possible withoutdeparting from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subjectmatter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of thedisclosure. Moreover, in interpreting the disclosure, all terms shouldbe interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with thecontext. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should beinterpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in anon-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements,components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with otherelements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced.

1. A contactless delivery locker system comprising: a plurality ofcontactless delivery lockers arranged in a bank of lockers wherein eachlocker includes at least: i) a locker housing; ii) a locker door fittedto said locker housing having a display arranged on said locker doorwherein said display is sized to cover a significant portion of the doorand sized to be used for digital signage; iii) a disinfecting systemarranged to disinfect locker content; and iv) a remotely actuable lockarranged to secure said door in a closed position and actuable torelease said door; a controller associated with said lock configured toactuate said lock; and a wireless interface connected to said controllerand configured to receive a command to actuate said lock to release saiddoor; and wherein said controller operates to control actuation of saidlock to release said door upon detection of said command to actuate saidlock and release said door, wherein said controller is configured toshow digital signage and a customer ID on said display, and wherein saidcontroller is configured to report lock status information aftercompletion of a disinfecting cycle to a user to confirm if a locker hasbeen opened between completion of a disinfecting cycle and a useroperation to open said locker door.
 2. The contactless delivery lockersystem according to claim 1, wherein said disinfecting system furthercomprises a UV-C light source.
 3. The contactless delivery locker systemaccording to claim 2, wherein said UV-C light source is one or more UV-CLEDs.
 4. The contactless delivery locker system according to claim 3,wherein said remotely actuatable lock further comprises an automaticdoor opener.
 5. The contactless delivery locker system according toclaim 4, wherein said controller is configured to generate a statusreport and provide said status report to said wireless interface fortransmission.
 6. The contactless delivery locker system according toclaim 5 further comprising location-based services connected to saidcontroller.
 7. The contactless delivery locker system according to claim6 further comprising a GPS receiver connected to said location-basedservices and said status report includes a location report.
 8. Thecontactless delivery locker system according to claim 5, wherein saiddisinfecting system further comprises a timer connected to said UV-Clight source.
 9. The contactless delivery locker system according toclaim 8, wherein said status report includes a report of operation ofsaid disinfecting system.
 10. The contactless delivery locker systemaccording to claim 5 further comprising a temperature sensor and saidstatus report includes sensed temperature within said locker housing.11. (canceled)
 12. The contactless delivery locker system according toclaim 1, wherein said display is a see-through display mounted in saidlocker door.
 13. The contactless delivery locker system according toclaim 1, wherein said locker door is pivot mounted to said lockerhousing.
 14. The contactless delivery locker system according to claim1, wherein interior surfaces of said locker housing includes reflectivesurfaces.
 15. The contactless delivery locker system according to claim1, wherein interior surfaces of said locker housing includes lightscattering surfaces.
 16. The contactless delivery locker systemaccording to claim 1 further comprising a handle connected to saidlocker housing.
 17. The contactless delivery locker system according toclaim 16, wherein said disinfecting system further comprises a UV-Clight source to provide UVGI to said handle.